Judge Tosses Arena Lawsuit but May Allow Re-Write

2 years ago

It's official. A judge has tossed out a lawsuit that claimed the city of Sacramento brokered a secret, backdoor deal with the Kings over the new arena downtown -- but the project's opponents say they'll appeal.

Attorneys Patrick Soluri, Jeffery Anderson and their clients claimed that "sweeteners" were offered to the team's new owners and that the costs of the new arena were not fully disclosed to taxpayers.

The judge ruled that since the lawsuit was filed before the deal was approved by City Council, there was no basis for the suit.

The suit was over the deal's "term sheet" but the attorneys say they'll re-write it to focus on the binding agreement approved by the council this week.

Plaintiffs for the city argued that even if the suit is rewritten it still won't have any merit because the city and the public have one year to debate the financing terms of the deal.